Personal Connection

Before beginning this adventure, I was afraid that I might not find solutions that would work for me. I was honest with myself and knew that I've tried to lose weight many times before in my life and was not successful. Only once have I ever been successful at losing weight; I didn't meet my goal and gained all of it back within a year and a half. So I started researching other areas that might help me gain the right mindset to begin another weightloss adventure.

"Regular opportunities for journaling provide an effective channel for students to reflect and communicate." (Preddy 2006) As an adult, I have never forced myself to journal. This project has forced me to journal in the form of a blog; allowing for me to better reflect what I was learning and know what to do with what I was learning. Writing and researching led me to the thought that I perhaps I needed to work on my mind and spirit so that I might not be successful in losing weight and maintaining the loss.

"Freedom to select from any area of the entire collection and to read at leisure has been documented by Krashen (1993) to be extremely beneficial for advancing reading achievement across all ability levels." (Callison 2006) Although I didn't get through all of the literature I wanted to read, I thoroughly enjoyed researching ways to improve my body, mind, and spirit. The genre of self-help always sparks my interest. Who wouldn't want to improve their life? When researching, I began to think about the importance of allowing students to do inquiry projects on what interests them most. They would be more apt to read materials and motivated to be creative thinkers in the end.

"Learning is often so regimented with students receiving points for molding projects to exact specifications that creativity is penalized." (Loertscher 2003) Learning new technologies while doing this inquiry project was a treat for me. I KNOW students appreciate the priveledge of choosing their own final product. Several years ago, I had a student who NEVER completed work in the classroom, but would always finish projects in perfect fashion when he was allowed to use technology. It didn't matter if he wasn't familiar with a particular technology; he always found a way to meet the requirements, even if he had to spend his free time doing so.

Now, at the end of my inquiry project, I look forward to implementing the plan I developed. I realize that developing the plan was half of the battle; implementing it may prove to be quite a feat. I am optimistic that I will be successful. I have already benefited from my research. Yoga has already proven to be addictive for me. My blood pressure is down, my back is feeling better than before, and I am SLOWLY losing weight.

I look forward to encouraging students to become life long learners and appreciate what I have learned with this project.


Callison, D., & Preddy, L. (2006). The blue book on information age inquiry, instruction, and literacy. Westport, Conn: Libraries Unlimited.

Loertscher, D. V., & Champlin, C. (2002). Indiana learns: Increasing Indiana's student academic achievement through school library media and technology programs. [San Jose, Calif.?]: Hi Willow Research.